Concrete building construction.



R. B. HARTMAN.

CONCRETE BUILDING CONSTRUCTION.

APPLICATION FILED Aue.24, I9o9. IIENEwEII IuLv 6,1918.

Patented Feb. 25, 1.919.

Stimme? Wi h1 @oom I fw m ww@ "B. HARYTMAN. CONCRETE BUILDING CONSTRUCTION@ APPLICATION FILED AUG.24, |909. RENEWED JULY 6. 1918.

1,295,31 1. A Y Patented Feb. 25, 1919.

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R. B. HARTMAN.

CONCRETE BUILDING CONSTRUCTION.

APPLICATION FILED Aus.24. i909. RENEWED 'JULY 6.1918.

1,295,311. 4 Patented Feb.- 25, 1919.

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Peteneed Feb. 25,1919.

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CONCRETE y'BUILDING CONSTRUCTION. APPucATloN FILED AuG24. |909. RENYEWED JULY s. ma.

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, vR.' B. HARTMAN. CONCRET'EBUILDING CONSTRUCTION.

APPLICATION FILED Aue.24,19os. RENEwED JULY 6,1918.

1,295,311. Patented Feb.25,1919.

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W MM@ @MMWMMVLW R. B. HARTMAN.

CONCRETE `BUILDING CONSTRUCTION.

APPLICATION FILED AIIG.24, I9o9. IIENEwED JULY 6,1918.

1,29 5,3 1 1. Patented. Feb. 25, 1919.

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Y tion tothemethod'.off.delivering.a concretef AUNIED SATES AT 'L RUDoLrII B HARrrNInN, or MILWAUKEE, WISCONSIN..

.CONCRETE BUILDING CONSTRUCTION.

Specicatien of Letters Patent. Patned 'Feb^.25, 1919.

Application V:tiled August 24, 1 9Q9,=Ser`ia1No. 514,390. Renewed .Tuly 6, 1918. Serial No. 243,704.)

ing Construction, of which lthe following is l a specification.

This invention relates. tomethodSliiIld apparatus forthe .construction of concrete buildings, and my object isin general .to so improve upon those methods at presentin use as :to .enable a concrete .building ftobe constructed very muchmore rapidly than heretofore and with a much, less `expenditurefor labor.

More specifically,V my. inyention has relamixture at a .point whereneeded for .casting it in the floor, wall.and,`coluinnn1olds, and to dispense ,entirely with the .present method of .delivering it t0 the. point. wanted by means of .,cars, trolleys or wheel-barrows, whichnecessarily travel back. ,and forthover the proper forms, and.: in so doing not vonly cumber theA operations of -casting by their presence, butl by running ,oi'pthe wayslaid for them `are constantly .disarranging .the steel or breaking or injuring ,the forms, and besides have the disadvantage .of being a very costly method .of transportation because man power, alone is used..

In my improved method I aim to dispense absolutely with wheelbarrows and hand.- carts, as well aswith y,all manualtransportation whatever, and toadeliver the dry concrete ready mixed from somepoint outside the building to the. exact ,point upon the floor where it is wanted. Moreover vll, aim to accomplish this x@aeration .completely and automatically and with a minimuml of labor involved. Furtherl ,aim to supply by my improved method very muchl .greater v.0lumes of concrete thanis possible bythe hand or wheelbarrow methovdyand so pour for example a` complete door in oneday wfhere under present methods it would require a week with the .greatest-...amount v,of labor that can be put on the ob. y

The Anature .of my invention: will; be best understood by the detailed explanation of one example thereof, and to the .end that it may be better understood, I-.havesh-own 4such an example in the accompanying drawings, .i'herein,

, Figure 1 is a plan view of a buildinggof the larger size, showing the constructional kapparatus employed indelivering the con.-1

crete, and with all the Vforms and other framework omitted for the sake vof clearness;

Fig. l2 isl an elevationof the building from that side which is at the bottom'of Fig. 1; the left-hand yhalf being shown in section on ,theplane 2; l f f i Fig. 3 is .an elevationof the `building from the right-hand side of Fig. 1,ia portion in the center being `cut away s o as to bring it within the limits Vof the sheet;

Fig. 4l is an elevation Vof the apparatus V on the .same plane as Fig. 3, with .portions broken out .to bring it .within ,the limits kof the drawing; n

Fig. 5 is a plan-view of .the subsidiary conveyerand mixer;

Fig. 6 is a side-elevation of vthe same, showing the main conveyer in .cross-section; F ig.` 7 isa :transverse section through the .truss-j oint .of the subsidiary conveyer, -on the plane 7 yof Figs. and. 6; p.

Fig. .8 isa plan-view on a still larger scale of the ydriving-end of the subsidiary conveyer; Q 'Y Fig. 9'is a plan-view of the joint between twoy sections of the subsidiary `.conveyer ;v

Fig. 10 is a transverse section through the u ydrivingfend of said conveyer, in the axial plane of the driving-shaft;

Fig. 11 isa side `elevation thereof; Fig. 12 is a transverse section throughthe conveyer showing the arrangement ofthe rollers;` A Y Fig. 13 is a plan view ofthe mixer with a part of the outer casing broken away;

Fig. 11 is a longitudinal section through t the-same.; L p Y Fig. 15 is an end-elevation of the mixer, partly in sect-ion on the plane 15;

Fig. 16is a transverse-.section.ofthe mixer and connected parts. on the plane 16;

Fig. 17 is a side view of the telescoping delivery chute or trough for the mixed concrete;

Fig. 18 is an end view of thesame;

Fig. 19 Iis adiagrampf the electrical `conv Fig. 23 is an end elevation of the same; and Y Fig. 24 is an end elevation of a construction-track supported by a row of Ycolumnforms built up in advance of the remaining forms for this purpose.

In there drawings every reference lett-erv and numeral refers always to the same part.

The general arrangement of my system comprises, first, an elevator which carries the dry-mixed materials for the concrete in bags from, the ground to a point at a suitable distance above the point where it is to be laid; secondly, a main conveyer adapted Vto receive the bags from said elevator and'transport the materials laterally over the building area; thirdly, subsidiary or lateral conveyer adapted to receive the bags from the main conveyer and transport them ,in a .lateral direction therefrom; fourthly, a traveling-mixer moving on one or more construction-tracks erected above the work for the purpose; and fifthly, a swinging deliverychute or like means adapted to deliver the puddled concrete directly' upon the point where it is to be ultimately placed. These several elementsmay be arranged in various ways according to the form of the building, the point at which the materials may be most conveniently assembled and vdelivered to the elevator, theshape and design of the building, and the judgment and convenience of the building-constructor. It should be understood therefore that in describing specific forms as hereinbelow, these, are merely presented by way of illustration and not with the idea that they are the only forms that can be adopted'to carry out vmy invention; however,l it may be said that the preferred form shown is that which will be found most desirable for the average building, and contains features which form a part of my invention independently of other forms.

In Fig. 1 is shown the ground plan of Va building supposed to be (to fix ideas) about two hundred feet square.

For the purposes of my invention an elevator or hoist A is erected at one side of the building and preferably in the center of that side; such elevator comprising a frame or scaffolding a', pulleys a2, a3 mounted at top and bottom thereof, and in the belt or apron a4 `mounted on said pulleys, and

Vbuckets or cradles a5 mounted at intervals along said apron and in shape adapted to receive andy support the concrete bags B into which the materials of the concrete (except the Water) are loaded for delivery; A delivery-chute C may be conveniently arranged yat the base of the elevator in position for shooting the bags into position to be taken up and elevated by the cradles a5, so that the workmen have simply to throw the bags into the chute and as fast as each bag is taken up the remainder will slide forward to place the next bag in position.

Over the floors and framework to be cast in concrete, the contractor will also erect a number of parallel tracks D, the same being supported in any convenient manner, as for example on pole-bents d', said tracks being in the preferred form parallel to the sides adjacent to that on which the elevator ris located; and a conveyer-belt E extending the complete length of the building parallel to thetracks D and midway between them is erected, so that one end comes adjacent to the elevator-belt a4, from which it receives the bags B either through a slide F or in any other convenient manner.v The conveyer-belt E is mounted on a frame e consisting of side-planks which carry the endpulleys e2 and rollers e3, e, on which the upper Aand lower laps of the belt respectively rest, said frame er being supported throuo'h a beam e5 (see Fig. 6) upon pole-bents es or otherwise, forvthe purpose hereinafter described., Both the elevator-belt a4' and the .conveyer E may be driven through any suitable motor, preferably by means of an electric motor G connected with the two conveyers by belts Vg and g2, so that thebagsB are continuously and without manual'assistance elevated and delivered to the conveyer E, from which they are thrown 01T upon the subsidiary or lateral belt H at any point desired by means of a movable throw-off plate l, which can be clamped in a suitable manner upon the side-planks e. Upon the tracks D is mounted a mixer J which can be rolled to any point thereof; and to transport said mixer from one of the tracks D to ano-ther a transfer-table K carrying extensions 7c. of 4the tracks D is mounted transversely thereto upon a second setof tracks 702 supportedon a suitable scaffoldingv las; so that it becomes an easy matter vto transfer the mixer J' to whatever point along the tracks maybe v,most immediately over the point where the mixed concrete is to be delivered. The mixer J, asl herein constructed, comprises a mixing-tank j carrying a pai-r of shafts j2, provided with helical blades jg, which are geared together so as to rotate in opposite directions by gears jt at one end, and are driven by a motor 7'5 -connected to one of the shafts by means of gears je, Along the sides of the tank may run water-pipes js which may be con-nected. to any convenient source of water-supply Vso as to furnish water to the mixerat each step of the building operations, said pipes jg being perforated so as to distribute the water as equably as possible to vthe concrete, which is turned over and mixed by the helical plates jg and at the sameV time conveyedfrom the infeed to the delivery-end of the tank. In describing the hereinaboveV arrangement of the mixingtank I do not wish it understood that .my

invention is confined to this'arrangement, as other types of tank may be used; but the type described is one of those best adaptable to the purposes of my invention.

Over the mixing-tank j atthe intake-end thereof is located a hopper 311 across the mouth of which is a grille-work or grizzly jm, adapted. to receive the bags directly upon it as they are delivered from the lateral conveyenH. The delivery-end. of this conveyer is provided witha postor pedestal T which rests. upon the side of the mixer, and a short slide 71.V2 to' prevent the bags from falling through the open space between the conveyer and mixer. The conveyer has its driving shaft 7L atthis end, and a driving-pulley h3 mounted thereon which is connected by a driving-rope 7L4 to one of the shafts jg of the mixer, each ofwhich shafts is provided with a rope-sheave y11 to receive the ropeht, either one of such pulleys being usedV depending on which side of the main belt E the mixer happens to'be.v located on atthe time. A belttightener consisting of a lever h5, 'pivot-ed at 7L and carryinga tightener-roller 71? on one end and. weight 7&8 on theotlfrerv may be -conveniently employed co-.take up4 the varying slack of thev rope due to unevenness in the distance between the conveyer andY mixer.

The mixer has at its opposite or deliveryend two delivery-chutes j which are used alternatively according tolwhich side of the track the concrete is to be delivered on, and ahi-nged valve-plate 3'1"" is used to close the chute' 7'12 not in use and throw the mixed concrete into the other. On the lower end of each-'chute p12/is a grooved ring-j providing for' the swiveled delivery-trough'or chute j, which-.is providedatits upper end with an elbow j to which it is pivoted by a belt j, said elbow having an external U'shaped ange i1? adapted to engage in the grooved ring j, and abolt jwpassing fromside to side of the elbow and adapted to hold the flange'y''in engagement withvthe rin-g and to clamp it inA position if desired. By this arrangement it will be seen that not only can the chutek j be swung in a vertical plane so as todel'iver the concrete' at a greater or less distance from the mixer, but it canv also be swung about a vertical axis' so that it can deliver thefconcrete to any point within a given rad-.inset the mixer; and. such radius willnatur'ally depend upon the height above :the work at which the mixture is placed and thedegrree of liquidity of the mixed concrete. The chute j will generally bev constructed in telescoping sections as illustratedin Figs. 17 and 1'8, each one clamped to the next one .by abolty'179 or any other suitable means so thatthelength of the Ychute can be varied as desired.' Platforms j are erected on the mixerV atithe sides thereoic for the operatives who manipulate thebags B and empty' them intenthexhopper jg,"

ToV adapt it to the purposes of ready erection and also of alteration in length to conform with the different distances of the tracks D from the main conveyer, the construction of the lateral conveyerv H is of peculiar importance. As herein shown it is built in three sections 7&9, 7&1 and 7L11, each made up of lateral planks secured inparallel relation by spacing-bolts k12 and distancepieces h1 at suitable intervals. Y Attheir ends, except the driving-end of the section 71.9, are mounted stationary axles 7L14 each carrying a grooved sheave 7h15 provided with a number of rope-grooves of equal diameter, and two end-sheaves 7L16 of larger diameter. Over the sheaves 7L15 pass the conveyer-ropes 7L, one set of ropes to each section, the lower laps vhanging free in ordinary cases, as shown in the drawings. A plurality of grooved supporting-rolls 7L1S are mounted in notches 7619' along the upper edges ot' the frameplanks in lorder to support the upper or conveying laps of the ropes 7L and prevent them tromseparating. vThe number of ropegrooves in the sheaves 7t15 is naturally twice the number of ropes in any one section of the conveyer, the ropes of the two sections alternating; and upon the shafth is nonrotatably mounted a similar sheave 7L15 for the ropes of thatsection, so that the section 71.1 is driven from the section hg, and the section 7L11 in turn from the section 7L10.

The end of the conveyer H adjacent to the main conveyer is krnovably supported upon one of two rails 71.2 4which are supported upon the pole bents c below the main conveyer; each of the side-planks of the section 7L11 being provided on its end with a Vmetal casting 71.21 carrying a flanged roller 7L22 rolling upon the rail; so that the end of the conveyer lies directly below the main conveyer, and a side-shield 7L23 may be provided for the purpose of preventing any possibility of the bags overshooting and falling beyond the same.

then the mixer on one of the tracks D nearest to thevconveyer E only the section 7t11 is necessary, which' accordingly may be detached from the rest of the conveyor and be driven in the same manner as the section in this case the fixed axle 7t14 will be taken out and replaced by the shaft 7L and driving-pulley 7L3. When however the mixer is being used uponthe track D farthest from the conveyer E, then all three sections of the conveyer H must be used., and for this purpose it is necessary to support them in line. A small truck M is used toform a. rest for the section 7L1 near the joint, andthe two sections 7&1 and 701 are kept in line by a collapsible truss-work, consisting as shown of a U-i'rame N (which may be conveniently inaderom angle-'iron or the like) whose ends a have holes through which passes the bolt r ,1 and a pair O, truss-rdpes or cables:

n2 having eyes formed at their ends which pass respectively over the bolt `71,14 at the joint between the sections h1 and 7011 and over flanges it formed on the journal castings L25 for the shaft 7L. Small blocks n3 may be secured to the frame N to form sideabutme'nts for thefcords n2, and blocks 'n4 may be secured to the cords n2 on either side of' thecastingN to prevent it from collapsing sidewise when in' use. This arrangement is for the purpose of enabling the conveyer H to be transported in convenient-sized portions and to bereadily erected and dismantled; and it will be seen that the two sections 7L and IL10 thereof can be readily collapsed and folded together by simply raising the joint 71,14, disconnecting the ropes n2 from the frame N, and folding the latter sidewise.

It will be observed that, in addition to the main supporting-'cords it of the conveyer, otherY cords h2 are used at the sides which run at a higher elevation. These cords,

while not absolutely necessary to operation,

them need not be driven but preferably run.

idle, and the cords LZG belonging to the middle section do not run over the end sheaves k1 as there is but one pair of sheaves to each pulley. This is shown in Figs. 5 and 6.

The entire apparatus can be operated by two men stationed at the'mixer who start and stop both motors and empty out the bags as fast as they arrive upon the grizzly 7'11 To enable this to be accomplished I have shown the electrical connections in Fig. 19. Both motors G and f are connected in parallel to the main circuit wires O through leadsfo, 02, and 03, in the first of which is arranged a cutout switch P, stationed at the mixer, by pulling which the entire hoisting and conveying mechanism can be instantly brought to a standstill. In addition two motor-starters g4 and j are used in the respective motor-circuits g5 and y'21, by means of which each of the motors can be started separately. Besides the above, a cutoutswitch g is stationed at the base of the elevator A so that, in case of accident occurring below', the elevator and conveyer E can be stopped independently of the switchboard at the mixer by pulling this switch.

In the alternative construction of Figs. 2() and 2l are used, in place of the parallel tracks D, a pair of endless tracks Q, which parallel the four sides of the building at suitable distances apart and are connected by a transfer table R running on tracks 1". Across the center of this runs the main `conveyer E, which, together with the elevator A, is the same as in the previous construction. IVhile I may also in this construction use a lateral conveyer similar to the conveyer H, I' have shown instead, to illustrate possibilities, a skid or slideway S to which the tracks Dvfrom the? conveyer E, and the means and'facilities ofthe cntractor.y Of course the farther theinixer D 'is from the' conveyer E, the higher must the elevator tower A be erected in order to provide for sufficient slope for 4the slideway, and thisV means also proportionately greater power for hoisting'. Such a construction wouldv therefore not bedesirable upon large buildings, as leading toV too great a.' height of elevator and conveyer, but on small buildings, or where the mixer-tracks are located not very far from the driven conveyer E, the slideway or gravity conveyer S would offer the greatest advantages as being the simplest and cheapest and most'quickly erected and moved from point to point.

The practical solution of the question in a large building will often be found to lie in the use of the driven conveyer H for the distant tracks D and the skid or gravityconveyer S for the inner tracks. This combination is illustrated kin Fig. 2 of the drawings, the use of the skid being shown on the right in'dotted lines.

In practice I propose to adjust the apparatus vertically as the building operations proceed, erecting my apparatusin the first place at a sufficient height to pour several lioors, and when these are. poured the apparatus is adjusted vertically by raising it a fur-ther distance suliicient for several more iioors, so that a minimum of rigging'only is necessary, and the delivery'V and pouring of the concrete is limited in fact only by the size and capacity of the miXer M and of the elevator'and conveyers. This application is shown onthe rightof Fig. 2, inwhich the form-scaolding over the right-hand portion of thev building has only reached the second story which is ready to be poured by use of the right-hand outer tracksD; the third story is ready for pouringin the neXt adjacent portion on the left, and the fourthl story in the portion under the inner tracks D. As each floor is completed, the scaffolding is erected'immediately over it for the next floor, without 'removing the floor forms or waiting for thev concrete to set; and so on upward.

The form of mixer shown in Figs.r18 to 16 is objectionable where it is desired to use a broad-gage track, because of the branch-spouts y'12 comingin the wayof the latter. To provide for a broad-gage track I construct the miXer as illustrated in Figs. 22 and 23, wherein the mixing-tank U containing the propelling and agitating devices u turning on the longitudinal shafts u2 is arranged in tilted position, supported on a platform V which carries wheels o rolling upon the broad-gage track W. The infeedhopper ua, water-feed pipes at, gearing a5, a6, rope-sheaves a7, and motor u8 are arranged all substantially as in the previously described form; and it will be noted that the branched delivery-chu-tes ug which conduct the mixed concrete from the raised end of the mixer are in so far elevated above the track that they can spread a sufficient distance to permit of a very broad gage (for example 6 to 8 feet) of track being used.

From ythe above description it will be readily seen that my invention will assume a variety of forms all embodying the same principles and that a great number of changes and modifications are possible in the nonessentials without departing from the spirit of my invention, the scope of which is particularly defined in my claims.

Wherever it is convenient to locate the tracks WV of Figs. 22 and 23 (corresponding to tracks D of Fig. 2) immediately over any tier of columns, I propose to utilize the column-forms Y in whole or in part to support the tracks D, thus saving the necessity of special scaffolding, or using the latter in conjunction with the column-forms, which are of course in that case built up in advance to the level of the tracks so as to support the same. This is illustrated in Fig. 24.

Having thus described my invention, what I claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent is:

1. A concrete supplying apparatus for mixing or puddling the concrete at the top of a rising structure, comprising an elevator for lifting the dry material, a conveyer extending substantially horizontally from the elevator and vertically adjustable above the completed portion of the structure, a mixer above the completed portion of the structure for receiving the dry material from the conveyer, means to deliver water to the mixer at each stage of the operations as it is moved during the upward progress of the structure, and a chute extending from the mixer to the place of casting.

2. A lconcrete supplying apparatus for mixing the concrete at the top of a rising structure, comprising an elevator for lifting the dry material, conveying mechanism extending from the elevator substantially in a horizontal direction above the completed portion of the structure, a conveyer adjustable along said horizontal conveying mechanism, a mixer above the completed portion of the structure adapted to receive the dry concrete material from said conveyer, means elevator above the completed portion of the structure, an elevated runway, a mixer mova'ble along said runway and `adapted to receive the dry material from the conveyer, means to deliver water to the mixer at each stage of the operations as it is moved during the upward progress of the structure, and a chute extending from the mixer to the place of casting.

4f. A concrete supplying apparatus for mixing the concrete at the top of a rising structure, comprising an elevator for lifting the dry material, conveying mechanism extending from the elevator substantially in a horizontal direction above the completed portion of the structure, a conveyer adjustable along said horizontal conveying mechanism, a track or runway extending substantially parallel with said conveying mechanism, a mixer movable along said track and adapted to receive the dry material from said conveyer, means for supplying water to the mixer at each stage of the building operations, and a chute extending from the mixer to the place of casting.

5. A concrete supplying apparatus fo-r mixing the concrete at the top of a rising structure, comprising an elevator for lifting the dry material, conveying mechanism extending from the elevator substantially in a horizontal direction above the completed portion of the structure, a plurality of tracks or runways, extending substantially parallel with said conveying mechanism, a mixer adapted to move upon said tracks, means for transferring the mixer from one track to another, a conveyer adjustable along said conveying mechanism to transfer the dry concrete material fro-m the latter to the mixer in its different positions, means for supplying water to the mixer at each stage of the building operations, and a chute extending from the mixer to they place of casting.

In witness whereof I have hereunto set my hand this 23rd day of April, 1909.

RUDOLPH B. HARTMAN.

Witnesses:

RICHD. RIESEN, A. E. STEIN.

Copies of this patent may he obtained for five cents each, by addressing the Commissioner of Patents,

Washington, D. C. Y 

